DC competitor Van Dammage reveals his tragic inspiration to play air guitar

As if the Mid-Atlantic US Air Guitar Qualifier in Washington DC tomorrow night at the 9:30 Club (TIX HERE) weren't already going to be epic enough, we've received exclusive artwork from one of the competitors that hints at a very tragic past.

Thanks to our extensive underground network of #usairguitar enthusiasts and the series of tubes that connects them all, we were able to get our hands on some exclusive artwork and a tattered manuscript (author unknown) that hints at a tragic past for 2013 Nashville champ Van Dammage (Luke Sevcik).

The legend goes like this: One fateful afternoon in Spain, a young Van Dammage is enthralled by his father's Spanish guitar playing at the Annual Rose Serenade Parade. The Queen of Spain pulls out a single long stemmed red rose and from her balcony tosses it high into the blue sky. The crowd follows suit and a showering of rose petals fills the air - a sea of red flows freely. Lying in the shadows nearby - a bull stands alone, ornery and ready for a fight. The bull clearly sees his target and as the rose sails across the crowd, a young VD can only look in horror at the charging beast headed directly for his father.

Time stands still for all in the crowd as the roar of the stampede vibrates the ground. The master begins his final strum and looks to the rose, timing his catch with his right hand held high in flamenco position. As the stem hits his sweaty hands, the charging bull leaps into the air to meet the imposing hero, who musters one last powerful strum. VD closes his eyes and lets out a cry, "Mi Padre!" One eye opens, followed by the other after he hears a loud crash and whimper from the animal. He makes eye contact with his father and returns a brief smile. The smile turns to disbelief as he sees his father sprawled atop the lifeless bull with his guitar beneath him, but wet ...wet with blood. Impaled by his own handiwork, his father asks him to come closer and whispers in his ear. He mutters just three words to his son in his native tongue, and his eyes became as glass. The petals settle over the scene and all surrounding noise stops at the very instant the single red rose finally lands -- into the young boy's hand.

Driven by his father's horrific impalement by guitar, Van Dammage carries on the art of flamenco through AIRIACHI - all the passion, sans guitar.

Will Van Dammage avenge his father? See the airiachi live in person tomorrow night in Washington DC!